Cable-adjuster.



M. W. BEARDSLEY.

I CABLE ADJUSTER. APPLIOATIONIILED our. 29,1901.

Patented Nov--10, 1908.'

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M055 6mm,

Mn #11 eases M. W. BEARDSLEY. CABLE ADJUSTER. AiPLlOATIOH FILED 001'. 29,1907.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

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n llllllllllllllllm wnfivasszs INVENTOk MOSS W. BEARDSLEY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CABLE-ADJUSTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

Application filed October 29, 1907. Serial No. 399,628.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Moss WV. BEARDSLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cable-Adjusters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in means for securing, supporting and adjusting cables which form the track for cars, trams or trolleys of aerial tramways and by means of which such track cables may be kept at the requisite tension and may be adjusted from time to time to take up slack therein and to equalize the stresses thereon, the said adjusting and supporting devices also furnishing means for facilitating the splicing or connecting of the cables at the ends thereof, and the said invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is an elevation of cable supporting and adjusting devices constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, the cable being shown in cross section. Fig. 3 is a detail front elevation of the cable adjusting device. Fig. 4: is a sectional view of the same taken on the plane indicated by the line 4at of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a similar view taken on the plane indicated by the line 55 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the movable track and clamping block. Fig. 7 is an elevation of a modified form of cable adjuster. Fig. 8 is a detail elevation of another modification.

The cable or cables 1 pass over the grooved upper sides of direction elements 2 with which the body portion 3 of the cable adjuster is provided, on one side, said direction elements being appropriately spaced apart and being here shown as segmental in form.

In the form of the cable adjuster shown in detail in Fig. 3 the said segmental direction elements are formed separately from the body and are secured thereto by means of bolts a. In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 5 said direction elements, which are indicated at 5, are formed integrally with the body portion 6. In both forms of the cable adjusting device here shown the body portion is provided at its lower side with an outwardly extending boss 7 provided with a vertical opening for the reception of a screw threaded cylindrical stem 8 that depends from a vertical movable track and clamping block 9 which is disposed between and is spaced from the segmental direction elements. The upper side of the said track and clamping block is rounded and conforms to the shape and size of theupper side of the cable or cables so that the said block which co-acts, as hereinafter described, with the direction elements, in securely clamping the cable or cables so as to support the same, also forms a track element, which alines with the upper side of said cable or cables and is disposed above the bight formed in said cable or cables as shown in Figs. 1 and 8 in which the cable or cables are indicated at 10 and the bight therein is indicated at 11. Hence, the said track and clamping block forms a supporting track element above the bight in the cable or cables for the passage of the wheels of the tram, cars or trolley over the bights in the cables constituting the aerial track. The screws 8 with which the track and clamping block is provided has an adjusting and securing nut 12 which bears against the under side of the boss 7 and enables the said block 9 to be moved as may be required to cause the same to co-act with the segmental direction elements in clamping and securely holding the cable or cables or to release the same to permit re-adjustment thereof.

In practice the cable adjusting devices are disposed at appropriate stations or appropriate distances apart and are supported by any suitable supports, which may be such as are shown at A in Figs 1 and 2 or of any other suitable construction. I do not limit myself in this particular. The bight formed in the cable or between the ends of adjacent cables passes under a pulley or sheave in a block 13 and to which a hook 14 is attached, which hook is engaged by a turn buckle or other adjusting device 15 included in a ten sioning and anchoring chain or other suitable device 16. It will be understood that by first fastening the screw 8 to release the track and clamping block from the cable, the latter may be adjusted to take up slack and equalize stresses by means of the adjusting device 15, after which said block 9 will be again clamped on those portions of the cable which pass over the supporting and direction elements 2. Where two ends of the cable are to be connected together a bight is formed by the downturned ends of such cables and a piece of cable 17 said piece of cable being passed around the pulley in the block 13 and having its ends secured to the.

ends of the cables by means of clamps 18 each of which comprises a pair of plates 19 secured together by bolts 20. By thus forming a splice between the ends of the cables at a point where a bight is formed and under the track and clamping block: above the bight the said splice is entirely out of the way of the wheels of the cars, trams or trolleys and forms no obstruction to the passage of, the same over the said cable tramway.

Vithin the scope of my invention the cable adjusting device may be secured to-the support A and by any suitable means. The body portion of the cable adjusting device is here shown as provided at its upper side with a laterally extending arm 21 which bears on the said support and is secured thereon by bolts '22.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, is

1. A cable adjusting device of the class described comprising a body having spaced fixed direction elementsto support the cable and form a bight therein and further provided with a boss projecting from said body block clamp the cable 011 the direction elements and at a point below the space between the direction elements, a movable track and clamplng between the direction elements to an adjusting screw connecting said clamping block to said boss.

2. A tramway of the class described comprising a cable, a cable supporting and adjusting device having a body provided on one side with fixed direction-elements to support the cable and spaced apart, and a boss projecting from said body portion below the space between the direction elements, a cable bearing on the direction elements and formed with a depending bight extending between them, adjusting means engaging the bight or" the cable and serving also to tension the same, a clamp and track element between the directionelements and bearing on those portions of the cable which are on such direction elements, and an adjusting screw connecting said clamping and track element to the boss of the body.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in'presence of two witnesses.

MOSS BEARDSLEY. l/Vitnesses:

FREDERICK C. HAwEs, JOSEPH O. RON'KE. 

